I-69 from Memphis to Evansville

Current Status

A scoping study is underway between Eddyville and Henderson (SIU
6:
FR Notice).

Environmental impact studies in progress from Millington to
Dyersburg (SIU 8:
FR Notice) and from Eddyville to Henderson (SIU 5: KYTC
Bulletin). Tennessee's 2002-04 state transportation improvement plan (PDF) includes
$12 million (FY 2003) for right of way acquisition between
Dyersburg and Fulton, and $8 million (FY 2002) for preliminary
engineering between Millington and Dyersburg.

A final EIS has been issued, and a final routing selected, between
Dyersburg and South Fulton (SIU 7); see
TDOT's press release and the federal
register notice. The SIU has been divided into five segments for
design and construction work, with construction expected to begin
perhaps as soon as 2005.

A final EIS is expected for the Millington-Dyersburg segment
sometime in 2004, with the draft scheduled to be published early in
the year. Construction expected to begin in 2006.

The following sections of future I-69 are complete and open to
traffic:

In addition, these sections of existing freeway may be used,
depending on the outcome of locational studies:

U.S. 412
near Dyersburg (*)

(Sections marked with (*) were not
originally designed as part of I-69, but instead are other freeways
which may be integrated into the route.)

In addition, a
redesignation of Tennesssee SR 22 has been proposed as a spur from Union City to Martin.

Description

SIU 8: Millington to Dyersburg

From the Memphis area, I-69 will generally follow the U.S. 51
corridor north from Millington to Dyersburg. As of today, the northern
and southern portions of the route have been narrowed down to a single
1000-foot corridor running west of existing U.S. 51 along what was
known as “Corridor R”; however, a middle portion of the
route will
be examined further between the Hatchie River crossing and Halls.
This additional study will take approximately six months to complete,
pushing final approval for the routing into 2007. (See map.)

As a result of this western routing, Interstate 155 will likely be
truncated by around 8 miles, with Interstate 69 taking over the
designation of I-155 east to its present terminus at U.S. 412/U.S. 51.

SIU 7: Dyersburg to South Fulton

North of Dyersburg, I-69 will follow the existing 23-mile U.S. 51
freeway from the I-155 terminus to the freeway's end just south of
Troy; TDOT's project design statement says “few, if any changes,
beyond re-signing the project as an Interstate, are required” in
this section.

From Troy, I-69 will be routed along a new alignment (see map [PNG; 109k]), including a eastern bypass
of Troy and a northwestern bypass of Union City, to rejoin the
existing U.S. 51 freeway for a few miles northeast of Union City. The
TN 214 and US 45 interchanges at the end of the project will be
upgraded later in conjunction with Kentucky's work to upgrade the
Julian M. Carroll (Purchase) Parkway.

The portions on new alignment will be designed in five sections,
according to TDOT:

From south of SR 211 to just south of SR 21 (4.0 miles/6.4
km)

From just south of SR 21 to just south of existing U.S. 51 (4.0
miles/6.4 km)

From just south of U.S. 51 to just south of SR 5 (2.5 miles/4.0
km)

From just south of SR 5 to just west of SR 21 (4.0 miles/6.4
km)

From just west of SR 21 to existing U.S. 51 near Mayberry Road
(3.6 miles/5.8 km)

SIU 6: South Fulton to Eddyville

Leaving the Fulton area to the northeast, I-69 will follow the
existing Julian M. Carroll (Purchase) Parkway[1]
northeast to I-24, where it then will turn to follow I-24 east. The
substandard interchange at the south end of the Purchase Parkway in
South Fulton (Tenn.) will be reconstructed as part of this SIU.

SIU 5: Eddyville to Henderson

I-69 is likely to follow the Wendell Ford (Western Kentucky)
Parkway east to the Breathitt (née Pennyrile) Parkway, where
it will turn north again towards Henderson. It is also possible
that a new freeway will be constructed following the U.S. 641/60
corridors via Marion and Morganfield, and there is some interest in
such a routing. However, this would require additional federal and
state funding to complete, and Kentucky already has one major
new-location freeway project (I-66) on the books that appears to be
a higher priority politically.

The costs of upgrading the existing parkways to modern Interstate
standards, including adding safety barriers to the medians, increasing
the vertical clearance of bridges, and redesigning a number of
interchanges, might be quite substantial as well; the Kentucky
Transportation Cabinet is currently studying
the feasibility of upgrading the parkways.

According to this article in the Evansville Courier & Press,
KYTC's plan is to follow the existing parkways through the area; this
has been confirmed by Jeffrey Coleman Carlyle in
email correspondence with state highway officials. If I-69 does follow
existing routes, it will overlay proposed I-66 along the Wendell Ford
Parkway.

In Kentucky, Interstate 69 will follow the existing Purchase
Parkway from the Tennessee State Line to Interstate 24, then
Interstate 24 to the Western Kentucky Parkway, then the Western
Kentucky Parkway to the Pennyrile Parkway, then the Pennyrile
Parkway north to Henderson. At Henderson, a new route (including a
new Ohio River bridge) will be required to connect to Interstate 64
in southern Indiana. Both Tennessee and Indiana are actively
engaged in pursuing their own segments of Interstate 69, and each
state has cooperated in studies to assess connections at the state
lines.

For Interstate 69 to become fully functional in Kentucky, it is
expected that the existing parkway system will have to be upgraded.
The Purchase, Western Kentucky, and Pennyrile Parkways are all
limited access, four-lane divided highways, but there are spot
locations where access control would have to be tightened and
shoulder widths, clear zones, and bridge dimensions addressed
before interstate highway design standards are achieved in full. It
is expected that such upgrades will cost $700 million or more to
accomplish. At Henderson, the new route and its new Ohio River
bridge will likely cost an additional $800 million to complete. At
this time, KYTC is involved in a study of the parkway upgrade needs
from Interstate 24 to Henderson, and is on the verge of wrapping up
the preliminary engineering and environmental work for the new Ohio
River crossing at Henderson. Continuing work on Interstate 69 in
Kentucky will depend upon the financial support that can be
garnered for the project through the federal reauthorization and
appropriations processes.

Plans are being made by the federal government to run the
proposed interstate from Evansville, Ind., to Henderson and then
further west toward the Wendell Ford (formerly Western Kentucky)
Parkway, a route that would bypass Christian County.

Spur Routes

At least one spur route is being considered in this section of
the corridor.

TN 22 Martin Connector (I-169?)

Tennessee 2002 Senate
Joint Resolution 512, approved by the Senate and but not passed by
the House, encouraged TDOT to seek an I-169 designation for Tennessee
SR 22 from current U.S. 51 north of Union City to Martin. The
proposal apparently has the backing of local chambers of commerce.

Unlike other spur routes on the corridor, I-169 would simply be a
redesignation of the SR 22 freeway from the U.S. 51/U.S. 45W
interchange in Union City to Martin; the current route complies with
current Interstate standards (except at the interchange with U.S. 51),
like the freeway segments of U.S. 51 nearby. However, the spur route
would not connect directly to the preferred I-69 corridor identified
for SIU 7, so its chances of being adopted may be relatively slim
unless a more direct connection to I-69 is built.

According to a February 12, 2005 article in the Owensboro (Ky.)
Messenger-Inquirer, there is some interest in pursuing an
Interstate spur designation for the Audobon Parkway, a toll road
paralleling U.S. 60 between Henderson and Owensboro. Like Kentucky's
other parkways, it would require significant upgrades to meet current
Interstate highway standards.

It is also possible that other spur designations might be sought
in Kentucky (perhaps for the new U.S. 641 route from Eddyville or
for the Breathitt/Pennyrile Parkway south of the Western Kentucky
Parkway).

What I'd Do

Improve the Dyersburg-Fulton section of U.S. 51 to freeway
before the Millington-Dyersburg section. This, coupled with a new
Ohio River bridge, could serve as a useful—if
truncated—I-69 route, even if none of the other segments are
built (I-63, anyone?).

My preferred alternative for SIU 8 is to follow Alternative R
to the Hatchie River, then Alternative P1 to Alternative G. This
route would make use of the existing Hatchie and Forked Deer river
crossings and the U.S. 412 bypass of Dyersburg.

Reconstruct the Purchase/US 45 Bypass interchange at Mayfield to
make Future I-69 the "through" route. (See this Terraserver image; I-69 enters from the west and leaves to the
north.)

Reconstruct the interchanges where I-69 moves between existing
highways to allow for free flow of I-69 traffic.

Notes

Kentucky's parkway system includes a number of
controlled-access routes that were originally built as toll roads.
As the bonds used for construction have been paid off, they have
been converted to free highways that are maintained out of state
and federal funds.

The parkways are generally built as divided freeways with two
travel lanes in each direction and a paved right shoulder (however,
some parkways in the less populous areas of the state were built as
"Super 2" freeways). Unlike "parkways" in other states and the
National Park Service's parkway system, the parkways do permit
commercial traffic.

The parkways do not meet current Interstate highway standards
(they may have met then-current Interstate standards at the time
they were designed and constructed, but that won't be sufficient
for inclusion in Interstate 69); in particular, the parkways have
narrow medians, short acceleration lanes at on-ramps, some low
overpasses, and unusual interchange designs that would need
modification for inclusion in the Interstate system.